


Stage Fright

by RiddlePanda



Category: South Park
Genre: During and post Put It Down, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 09:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13338681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiddlePanda/pseuds/RiddlePanda
Summary: Craig Tucker lived a simple and boring lifeWhat Craig was about to go up and do was anything BUT simple and boring





	Stage Fright

**Author's Note:**

> Was rewatching Put It Down the other day and noticed that when Craig's singing, most of the time he either had his eyes closed or was looking at Tweek and nervously looked at the audience once. So this little headcanon that Craig had stage fright during that was born.

Craig Tucker was a boy of simple needs. He watched Red Racer every week, played with his and Tweek’s pet guinea pig every day, and tried to spend most of his waking moments in the company of his boyfriend and friends.

His little gang of friends were simple but each had their quirks to keep the limelight off of him. Clyde was emotional and gross, Token was rich and had all the latest shiny new toys, Jimmy was hilarious, and his boyfriend Tweek’s freakouts could have the entire room focus on him. Aside from the occasional plan he was dragged into with Stan’s group, Craig lived a simple boring life.

——————————————

What Craig was about to go up and do was anything _**BUT**_ simple and boring.

There was a reason Craig didn’t engage in too many adventures or seemed disinterested in everything. Why the boy was determined to walk home from Peru after seeing himself on an ancient Incan wall. His playing costumes were so simple to blend in the background and he was more comfortable behind a camera instead of in front of one. Why he had freaked out the most when the Asians initially paired him with Tweek.

Craig Tucker hated being the center of attention.

And he was about to sing a song in front of pretty much the entire town of South Park.

Why had he agreed to this? Even if it _**WAS**_ Tweek, even if this was for Tweek’s assurance and benefit, one look at all the people in the audience, his parents included, made the butterflies in his stomach increase tenfold.

“Craig, we’re-”

Oh god. So _**THIS**_ is what Tweek felt like most the time. He could see the worried look in Tweek’s eyes as he whipped around, his heart beating wildly in his chest, as he stared wide-eyed at his boyfriend.

“Tw-Tweek. You-”

Tweek furrowed his eyebrows. “Craig…I didn’t…scare you, did I?”

Craig shook his head but Tweek raised his eyebrow. “You hesitated for a second Craig. You’re not nervous are you?”

Why did the room seem so hot now? He could feel the sweat forming, his hands already feeling numb and clammy. “I’m good.”

Tweek shook his head. “So then, why does it seem like our roles are reversed here? I can hear your heart pounding and you’re breathing heavier.”

Craig licked the inside of his mouth. Why was it so dry? “I’m…good Tweek.”

“No you’re not Craig. I know you. I’ve never seen you…well…act like me. Do you have stage fright?”

He felt like passing out. His eye twitched slightly. “No. I’m good Tweek. Really I am.”

Tweek sighed. “Let me see. You keep clutching your stomach like you’ve got the feeling of butterflies in there, eyes darting around, heavy breathing, you jumped and panicked when I talked to you. You definitely have stage fright.”

Craig flipped his boyfriend off but Tweek chuckled. “Dude, you’re shaking. Not much, but you are. Craig…please just admit it so I can give you my advice. You’ve always helped me through my panic attacks, let me do this for you this time. Please?”

“Why don’t _**YOU**_ have this?”

“Because I may be a twitching mess, but this is just…natural to me. I guess. I don’t know. Performing just…makes all the anxiety and panic just…go away. It’s…weird, like it’s not ME performing, it’s the character I put in my place. Even when I did my song last time, that was how I had to be. I know everyone will be staring at me and taking in everything, so I have to make myself have an impact.”

Craig sighed. “Fine. I have stage fright. I hate being the center of attention. Everyone is gonna stare at me and expect me to do stuff and I don’t want to mess up because I don’t want people to laugh or feel pity for me or something bad happens. The last time I performed in front of people, I was deported to Peru. You know what happened there.”

Tweek nodded. “There that wasn’t so hard.”

Craig gave his boyfriend a small smile before it turned into a visible frown. “Maybe I should just…not do this. I don’t want to ruin your song. You worked so hard on this and I’ll just mess it up. I feel bad for volunteering but I didn’t want you to do this alone. But…”

“You’re capable of more than you think.”

Craig looked up seeing the huge smile on Tweek’s face. “I never will forget those words Craig. That’s…one of my methods. I just repeat what you said to me that day. Maybe…you should take your own advice.”

“It’s gonna take more than that.”

“Close your eyes. Keep them closed. Gesture with your hand a lot to make it look like you’re being passionate about the song and not about to throw up. There will be a part where the pre-recorded music comes on. I was just gonna join the choir, but I can join you and hold your hand. Then you can just stare at me if you don’t want to look at the audience.”

Craig turned around and peeked out of the curtain as he saw PC Principal walk up to the stage. He took a deep breath and turned around. “If I mess up your song-”

“You won’t Craig. You won’t. I believe in you.”

Tweek opened his arms for a hug which Craig easily accepted. The two stayed in each other’s embrace until PC Principal announced for them to get on the stage.

Sure enough, while Craig did have a few voice cracks and he accidentally looked at the audience a few times, the boy took Tweek’s advice. By the time the song ended and he was holding his boyfriend’s hand, the fear he had felt was gone.

Until they got backstage and Craig emptied the contents of his stomach all over Tweek’s shirt and shoes.

———————————–

Later on, when the two boys were back at Craig’s house for a sleepover, Craig snuggled in Tweek’s wild mass of hair.

“Thanks Tweek. Your advice really helped.”

“I should be thanking you Craig. I got to help you break some of your shell and got to hear your amazing singing voice. I hate that you had stage fright, but I was glad that I was able to help you with your anxiety like you’ve done all these times for me. You’re the best boyfriend ever.”

“Nah, you are. I’m just a boring ten year old that pukes all over his boyfriend because he can’t deal with a small case of anxiety. I am sooooo sorry about that.”

Tweek chuckled. “I guess that makes us even. Now I don’t feel so bad when I did it to you after DogPoo came to school that one time. And I am hardly the best boyfriend. You’ve got me beat by a mile.”

Craig shook his head. “Nope. You are.”

“You both are the best boyfriend for each other!”

Even though Craig’s door was closed, he still flipped it off. “Go to bed Tricia!”

“Same to you!”

Tweek yawned as he snuggled closer to Craig. “Sleep does sound nice.”

“Yeah, especially when I know you’re right next to me and won’t barge in my room at three in the morning.”

“I can still do that. Being at your house doesn’t change anything.”

———————————

Although it was late in the morning, Laura Tucker didn’t have the heart to wake the two boys up. They had both had a hectic night the night before. Best to let them get as much rest as they could. If that meant sleeping the entire Saturday, so be it.


End file.
